Sopor Æternus & the Ensemble of Shadows

Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows (Latin: "Eternal Sleep"; often referred to as Sopor Aeternus or Sopor) is a darkwave musical project based in Frankfurt founded in 1989 by Anna-Varney Cantodea.

Anna-Varney Cantodea

Despite years of media attention in Europe, not much is known about Cantodea and her personal life. All known information has been attained from interviews and publications in print. What is established is that Anna-Varney Cantodea is a non-operative trans woman, and has decided to remain as such, citing "spiritual conflict" if gender reassignment surgery is performed. Her name comes from the common name Anna, as well as the Latin word cantodea, meaning "female singer". Cantodea had been using the pseudonym Varney prior to 1997, with that name coming from the Victorian Gothic horror story Varney the Vampire or The Feast of Blood.

In several interviews, Cantodea has...
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